Every state has its claim to fame, but there's none sweeter than Vermont's position as America's maple syrup capital. The same trees that ignite the hillsides each autumn, herald the arrival of spring with the sound of a slow drip…drip …drip.

Maple season in Vermont normally runs from March 1 to mid-April and is a special time when maple producers all around the state collect sap from sugar maples and boil it down to pure Vermont maple syrup. Steam billowing from sugarhouse roofs all around the state is a sign that sap is boiling.

Vermont Maple Open House Weekend will be held on March 26-28 this year at sugarhouses throughout the state. But many of our sugarhouses are open to visitors all year. Visit a sugarhouse on a bright March morning and you'll find great plumes of steam rising out of the roof vents.

	Old Fashioned Sugar on Snow
	Directions: (It's pretty complicated, so pay attention.) Boil syrup until it's almost "soft ball" stage -- 234 degrees Fahrenheit. (To test, drizzle boiling syrup into glass of water - if it's stringy, it's ready.) Gather up a bowl of fresh, clean snow. Drizzle syrup over snow. Enjoy with fork or fingers. Optional: Serve with sour pickle for Vermont style sweet & sour!
	More Recipes @ vermontmaple.org

It takes approximately 40 gallons of sap to produce one gallon of syrup, which means a lot of water goes up in steam during the day. Inside, the scent of maple penetrates your senses, while the heat will have you shedding your winter layers.

Vermont is the nation’s leading producer of maple syrup with annual production between 400,000 and 500,000 gallons. Vermont’s high concentration of sugar maple trees is also one of the reasons it consistently offers the nation’s most vibrant fall foliage.

And all of it comes from small independent sugarmakers using technology that hasn't changed all that much over the years. Yes, the sap is now gathered with plastic pipelines strung tree-to-tree instead of tin buckets and many evaporators are oil fired. But you can still find wood fired evaporators boiling down the sap as it's been done for generations.

To find information about the Vermont Maple Open House Weekend and directions to participating sugarhouses, visit the Vermont Maple Website. Also, pick up a copy of the “2010 Vermont Ski & Maple Map” at any Vermont Welcome Center or call 1-800-837-6668 for a copy of the map.